This blog is devoted to talking about comic book characters and elements: the good, the bad and the ugly.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Nintendo Comics System

Valiant Comics (a year after its founding) created a series of comics books collectively called the Nintendo Comics System based on various Nintendo game and related shows. Here's a list of the featured comics:

Based on the three main NES Mario games and The Super Mario Bros. Super Show, the Super Mario Bros comic featured Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool (Princess Peach), Toad and Bowser as the five main characters. The comic had infrequent appearances of Wart (the main villain from Super Mario Bros. 2), the Koopalings, the Doctor Mario Viruses and well as all new characters (such as the idiot King Toadstool) . This was later replaced by a new Super Mario Bros. and Adventures of the Super Mario Bros. comics.

Gameboywas just as based much on the Super Mario Land game as the actual Gameboy. Tatanga (main villain of the before mentioned Super Mario Land) and his army would enter the real world episodically only to be beaten up Mario, who would also enter the real world.

The Legend of Zelda comic wasn't too notable. Aside from being based on the two Legend of Zelda games, it was also based on the cartoon segment from The Super Mario Bros. Super Show.

Captain N: The Game Master comic was based on the cartoon series of the same name. However, some changes were made: all third party characters (Simon and Mega Man) were replaced by Samus (who never appeared in show), Kid Icarus' (Pit) toga became yellow, Uranos (a Kid Icarus villian) was a main villain (despite not even featured on the show) and Princess Lana got a scepter to use as a weapon. Despite this, mistakes in the show were also in the comic (such as King Hippo being light blue).

Punch-Out!! and Metroid had graphic novels.

Despite the comics' cancellacation, there have still been Nintendo comics just not published by Valiant.
My source was: